1907–08 IAAUS men's basketball season explained

Year:	1907
Helmschamp:	Chicago (retroactive selection in 1943)
Helmspoy:	Charles Keinath, Penn (retroactive selection in 1944)

The 1907–08 IAAUS men's basketball season began in December 1907, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1908.

Rule changes

• The position of inspector, a type of game official, was abolished. Previously, two inspectors — who had no decision-making powers — had worked each game as assistants to the referee, stationed at each end of the court and responsible for determining whether goals were scored in accordance with the rules, which they reported to the referee.^[1]

Season headlines

• The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association began play, with six original members for basketball.
• Wabash (24–0) went undefeated during the season.
• Plagued by disagreements over playing rules and player eligibility, violent play, and teams failing to meet their obligation to play a complete league schedule on some occasions, the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) collapsed after the season.^[2] For the next two seasons, its teams played as independents. After a reorganization, the EIBL resumed competition in the 1910–11 season.
• In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Chicago as its national champion for the 1907–08 season.^[3]
• In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Wabash as its national champion for the 1907–08 season.^[4]

Conference membership changes

School	Former Conference	New Conference
	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
	Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Independent
	No major basketball program	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners

Conference	Regular Season Winner^[5]	Conference Player of the Year	Conference Tournament	Tournament Venue (City)	Tournament Winner
		None selected	No Tournament^[6]
		None selected	No Tournament; Kansas was conference champion^[7]
		None selected	No Tournament^[8]

Conference standings

Independents

A total of 98 college teams played as major independents. Among independents that played at least 10 games, (24–0), (12–0), and Bucknell (12-0) were undefeated, and Wabash and (24–11) finished with the most wins.^[9]

Statistical leaders

Awards

Helms College Basketball All-Americans

See main article: 1908 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

The practice of selecting a Consensus All-American Team did not begin until the 1928–29 season. The Helms Athletic Foundation later retroactively selected a list of All-Americans for the 1907–08 season.^[10]

Player	Team
Hugh Harper	Wisconsin
Julian Hayward	Wesleyan (Conn.)
Charles Keinath	Penn
Haskell Noyes	Yale
Pat Page	Chicago
John Pryor	Brown
John Ryan	Columbia
John Schommer	Chicago
Ira Streusand	CCNY
Helmer Swenholt	Wisconsin

Major player of the year awards

• Helms Player of the Year: Charles Keinath, Penn (retroactive selection in 1944)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Playing Rules History . . . ncaa.org . NCAA . June 25, 2024 . 2, 7.
2. For disputes about playing rules, see “Basketball News,” Daily Princetonian, October 17, 1906, p. 1, col. 2; for disputes about eligibility, see “Intercollegiate Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, December 19, 1905, p. 8, col. 4. For roughness in the game, see “Princeton withdraws from basketball league,” Daily Princetonian, March 20, 1908, p. 1, col. 2, and “Review of 1908 Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 3, 1908, p. 1, col. 1. For games not being played, see “Basketball Practice Ceases,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 26, 1902, p. 3, col. 2, and “Athletic Committee Meeting,” The Harvard Crimson, February 18, 1904. All retrieved January 17, 2015.
3. Web site: Jon. Scott. Nov 9, 2010. The truth behind the Helms Committee. 13 May 2021.
4. Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. ESPN. ESPN Books. New York, NY. 2009. 526, 529–587. 978-0-345-51392-2.
5. News: 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section. 2009. NCAA. 14 February 2009.
6. Web site: 1907-08 Men's Ivy League Season Summary . . July 18, 2024.
7. Web site: 1907-08 Men's Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary . . July 18, 2024.
8. Web site: 1907-08 Men's Western Conference Season Summary . . July 18, 2024.
9. Web site: 1907-08 Men's Independent Season Summary . . July 24, 2024.
10. http://www.apbr.org/ncaa-aa.html The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"